Maryland independent. [volume] (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1874-current, 1887-09-23
THEY RAN AWAY,
BY REBEccA HARDING DAVIS.

BY REBECCA HARDING DAVIS.
My aunt, said the doctor, was brought
up in queer way, different from any
American girl, though she was an Ameri-
can.
Among the mountains in Pennsylvania
there are two or three ancient German
towns, founded long before the Revolu-
tion, by the Moravians. The huge. mas
sive stone buildings stand still-and are
likely to stand for centuries-in which
the early communities dwelt together.
yet separate. There are the Brother and
Sister Houses, and the Gemein, or Com
mon House. These are occupied now
by the widows Of Moravian missionaries
with their children.
There is a deadly quiet and chilly
cleanliness about these great dwellings.
Each little suite of family rooms opens
out into wide stone corridors, in which
no speck of dust is allowed to remain.
A fly would hardly dare to enter the
open windows, to disturb that absolute
order and silence.
My Aunt Maria was the only daughter
of one of these widows. She had never
known any other home than the huge
Sister House, where life went on like a
clock that moved without ticking
She rose at dawn, and helped her
mother put their three neat rooms into
still more perfect order Then she ate
her breakfast, and was washed for the
second time; her fl ken hair was plated
behind, and tied with bow of brown
ribbon; then, books in hand, the de-
mure little maiden paced across the
green quadrangle to the school where
all the children of the church were
taught. When school was over, she sat
with her knitting by her mothers side
She never had ventured into the quiet
street alone
On rare occasions the children in the
Community houses played hide-and-seels
in the attics which ran uuder the roof
around the three sides of the great
square. These proceedings, however,
were usually regarded as disorderly by
the grave widows.
But Maria had one adventure in her
life which rose out of it, as the peak of
Teneritfe does out Of the flat ocean
around it. When she was ten years old .
she ran away How it came about no.
body ever knew, Maria herself least of
ALL 1t may have grown out of a tempo
rary insanity, the reaction from the long
dullness and qui t.
John Frcitag, the Widow Freitag's
son, persuaded her into it. He told her
OF the plan hundred times, on the way
home from school. Some of the town
boys told him OF it it was an everyday
matter to them When old Gottfrey
Sohner started to the next settlement
about five miles down the valley, his
wagon loaded with great bags of corn,
the boys would hide among the topmost
sacks, and there lie safely until the end
of the journey was reached. Gottfrey
was good -hunored old man, and, after
grumbling little, always brought them
back in the empty wagon before night
fall
The idea grew, week after week, in
the little girls mind, under her dull
eyes and smooth plaits, and at last she
suddenly declared that she would 90 and
"see the world"
One morning in September, after
Maria and John had gone into the school
and hung up their wraps, they took
them down again, walked slowly out Of
the door, and down the street to the inn
yard. Even in running away, they did
not hurry; they did not know how tc
hurry. In the yard stood Sohners great
wagon, heaped with sacks. Nobody
was near, and they climbed up and hid
in the hollows on the top. Presently
the mules were brought out and har-
nessed Gottfrcy climbed up and cracked
his whip, the great mass shook and
rocked, and they were off.
My aunt always told me that she wa;
not afraid. She forgot her mother, and
that she was committing a horrible sin,
according to the rules that she had been
taught.
1T was all so strange and beautiful, :
she used to say; 1.-THE clouds rushing
past US overhead, the moving procession
of trees, the strong wind-I was wild
could have shricked for joyr
l always fanciod my staid aunt had {
turbulent heart under her brown cape
Both the children soon fell asleep, be.
ing unused to the steady rocking motion
When they awoke the sun was over.
head. Could Gottfrey have spent foul
hours in driving five miles2 Could he
/ be going farther than usual2 They
whispered to each other in alarm, but
there was no way of finding the real sit
uation. John had never made this des,
perate venture before, and therefore
knew none of the landmarks. They
dared not let Gottfrey know that they
were there until the journey was over,
or he might abandon them on the road
( Who knew what wild beasts inhabited
these jungles of laurel through which
they drove?
| Noon nasged Gottfrav stonnad n